“Galactic Government officials are asking to board,” Lori said over the speakers. “Good luck. We’ll be waiting for you.”
“Keep your heads down and stay safe,” Riner added.
“Will do,” Commander Shaw answered as we turned toward the opening rear of the dropship.
I slammed one of the charge packs into the butt of my MK II and placed it at the small of my back. The extra charge pack I slipped into my pocket.
The hatch of the dropship opened slowly from the middle. The bottom portion of the door formed a ramp.
Unlike the moon, Mars had been made breathable. Powered by the wealth of the rich who lived here and backed by the Galactic Government the very best and brightest had come up with a solution for mankind to be able to breath on Mars.
There was a long complicated answer of course but what I remembered was Mars had an atmosphere about a hundred times thinner than Earth’s. By terraforming Mars the powers that be had been able to strengthen the atmosphere and create oxygen by increasing the planet’s temperature and pressure.
As soon as the doors to the dropship opened all the way, we could see a trio of Galactic Government soldiers waiting for us.
Two were praetorians. They wore full armor and helmets. Their mustard-yellow color and the sigil of the Galactic Government, a feline animal with long fangs, made it clear who and what they were. They carried pulse rifles but not in a threatening or assuming way. The barrels were down, their stance was easy, relaxed even. As far as they knew, they were just on another routine check-in.
The third member of the boarding party was a man with a bald head and thin eyebrows. Unlike his two counterparts, he didn’t wear the standard body armor of the Galactic Government.
He wore a brown and mustard yellow suit. He carried a data pad in one hand and over his left eye was a glass viewing screen that ran reports of things only he could see.
The edge of the glass screen was connected to the side of his head, securing the screen in place.
“Let me do the talking,” Commander Shaw said out of the side of his mouth.
“ID chips,” the bald man asked in a lazy way. Apparently, he wasn’t enthused to see us or thrilled with his job.
Commander Shaw walked forward with a smile on his face. He fished out the ID chip from his pocket and handed it over.
The bald man didn’t even look up. He just accepted the card and ran it over the datapad he held in his hands. There was a beep and he handed it back.
“Next,” the bald man said in a monotone voice.
Monica moved like a robot as she went forward and handed her ID chip to the bald man. I caught a slight tremble in her hand as she handed over the chip.
Oh no, I thought to myself. Hold it together, Monica, hold it together.
“Reason for your visit to Elysium?” the bald man looked up as he swiped Monica’s chip on his datapad.
“I, uh, well, we—business. Important business,” Monica managed to get out. “Yes, that’s right. We’re on business.”
“Stop saying the word business,” I said under my breath as I produced my own ID chip.
“What kind of business?” The bald man actually looked at us for the first time. He handed Monica back her chip and accepted my own. Looking down at his datapad, he read the information on his screen. “Scavengers from Earth, but a higher end company? Telsa Industries, is that right?”
“Oh, that’s right, right, yes.” Monica nodded in agreement. “Yes, lots of high-end things we trade in. Lost artifacts from the old world, toilets even.”
“I think my associate goes too far,” Commander Shaw stepped in with a cheesy smile. “I’m sure you’re a busy man and don’t need to be bothered with details of our work.”
“Hmmm.” The bald man looked at my ID chip and handed it back to me. He eyed Monica suspiciously. “Are you the only ones on board?”
“Just the pilot and copilot besides us,” Commander Shaw said with another grin. “But please, if you prefer to search the craft, you have an open invitation.”
The bald man looked over at Monica.
Monica had a crazy grin on her face. She rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes. I could practically see the sweat on her forehead.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a stressful situation, but Monica wasn’t exactly making this easy for us.
“What’s wrong with you?” The bald man narrowed his eyes at Monica. “Are you ill?”
“No,” Monica said.
“Yes,” I said at the same time.
We looked at each other.
Commander Shaw rolled his eyes.
“I mean, I was sick, but now I’m feeling better,” Monica said, trying to recover.
“She gets space-sick when we travel,” I explained.
“Yes, that’s it,” Monica agreed. “So sick, just vomit everywhere and diarrhea.”
“Diarrhea?” the bald man asked, aghast.
“Horrible, horrible diarrhea.” Monica shook her head.
The conversation was on the verge of becoming unbearable. I usually didn’t care about what people thought about me, but this was downright awkward.
“Like I said, you can go in and search the ship if you need to.” Commander Shaw waved the man inside. “Our business here won’t take more than a day or two.”
“No, no, that will not be necessary.” The bald man took a step back from the open rear entrance of the ship as if by getting too close to it, he might get sick himself. He made a few notes on his datapad. “You are cleared. Please don’t get anyone sick while you’re here.”
The bald man moved away, flanked by his praetorians, to check in the next ship.
I felt a huge breath come out of my lungs I didn’t even realize I was holding in. I flexed my right hand. I was two seconds from reaching for my MK II if things went bad.
“What happened to letting me do all the talking?” Commander Shaw asked.
“Sorry, he asked me a question and I froze,” Monica said, shaking her head. “I’m not cut out for this spy stuff.”
“Right,” Commander Shaw said, clearing his throat. “Well, we’re almost there. Let’s get out of here and find our transportation.”
We traveled through the docking bay toward the exit.
The hangar bay itself was a massive circular structure that allowed crafts to land and take off as needed. Once again, I was surprised to see the variety of crafts landing at the bay.
They were all different sizes, shapes, and colors. One part of me was amazed to see so many different crafts; the other part was reminded of how poor the moon and Earth were in comparison.
Only the rich lived on Mars and that was easy to see here in the variety of ships. People walked to and fro, all wearing suits or different combinations of expensive-looking clothing. Many of them even had armed escorts in armor of their own.
To compensate for this, the Galactic Government had a huge presence. It reminded me a bit of the Hole back on Earth where I first landed in New Vegas.
The Galactic Government had heavily guarded the prison town. I imagined their presence here was for a different purpose, but still, it served as a reminder of how large the Galactic Government really was.
I heard different languages being spoken. Some I recognized as Hindi, Spanish, and Chinese; others I had no idea what I was hearing.
Amidst so many things for my eyes and ears to take in, the necessity for individuals to stand apart wasn’t lost on me. It was like each ship or group of people needed to stamp their identity not just on their crafts but on the clothes they wore.
Sigils of every kind from winged horses to serpents, adorned armor, clothing and ships. Some were even tattooed on their faction members.
Everybody wanted to belong to a group. I guess I was in that same boat.
These thoughts were going through my mind when the shouting started.
“Wait!” someone shouted behind us. “You, stop!”
Chapter Twenty-Four
We looked behind us in time to see a pair of Galactic Government guards chasing after us at a full sprint.
Instinct more than anything else made me reach for the weapon at the small of my back. My adrenaline spiked as my mind ran through the possibilities of getting out of here alive.
The guards were bearing down on us, weapons raised.
Commander Shaw grabbed my arm and held it firmly.
It took me a split second to realize what was happening. They weren’t chasing after us. Instead, they were calling to someone else farther down the hangar bay.
Whoever they were after was too lost in the crowd for me to see.
“Was he carrying a weapon?” one of the praetorians sprinting past us asked his counterpart.
“I don’t know. He moved so fast, all I saw was an eye patch,” the other one said.
They were gone a moment later. Other Galactic Government praetorians were in motion as they tried to triangulate the position of whoever it was they were trying to chase down.
Amidst so many people arriving in the hangar bay, it would be a small miracle to find anyone you were after if they didn’t want to be found. Despite the numbers the Galactic Government had in the Elysium hangar bay, the odds were not in their favor if someone did not want to be found.
Commander Shaw finally released my arm.
I relaxed the hold on my MK II.
“That could have been really bad,” X said in my ear as we moved on toward the exit. “If you drew on those guards, our cover would have been blown.”
I nodded along with X’s words, still thinking about the brief conversation between the running Galactic Government guards I had caught.
Did they say someone with an eye patch? I wondered to myself. I thought back to my memory of Preacher, to his picture I still had tucked away. There have to be hundreds, maybe thousands of people on Mars with eye patches. Take it easy. Don’t get excited now.
We finally made our way out of the hangar to a staging building where people could coordinate travel from the hangar bay into the city.
We crossed through this clean sparsely decorated building to the doors leading outside. I saw another pair of praetorians leaning outside of the building’s exit. Both of their helmets were off. They looked as though they could be taking a break. One of them had a smoke in between his lips.
“You two go on ahead. I’m going to catch up,” I told Monica and the commander. I jerked my head to the pair of off-duty praetorians. “I’m going to see if I can grab some intel.”
“We’ll wait for you across the street,” Commander Shaw answered.
“Don’t be long,” Monica added.
The pair moved on and I walked over to the prats.
“Mind if I ask you two a question?” I said with a good-natured grin on my lips.
They both looked at me as if they did mind very much. I didn’t blame them. If they were on break, the last thing they wanted to do was talk with another lost or nosy civilian.
“I’ll make it quick,” I said, jerking my head to the inside of the building. “I saw a guy with an eye patch in there causing trouble. Just wondering if he was caught.”
“You actually saw him?” the younger of the two prats asked incredulously. “We only had two reports of eyewitnesses.”
“I mean, I didn’t see much,” I lied. “Just a guy wearing an eye patch running. There was a unit of praetorians already chasing him down.”
“He’s a wanted fugitive and that’s all we’re at liberty to say,” the older of the two prats said. He took a long puff of his smoke. He let it out of his lips, in a hurry to suck another draw down.
“Not trying to be nosy, just wondering if he was caught,” I said. “Wasn’t sure if it was the fugitive or not.”
“We’ll catch him soon enough,” the younger praetorian said with a firm nod. “It’s just a matter of time. He can’t run forever. What he was doing here, we still don’t know.”
I sensed a close to the conversation. There might be more questions on their part if I pushed the issue.
“Thanks,” I said with a quick nod. “You two enjoy your break.”
With that, I turned and left.
So it was confirmed. There was a man with an eye patch who was a known fugitive. What were the odds it was Preacher, and if so, what was he doing here?
“Hey, X?” I asked as I made my way across the street to where Monica and the commander waited. “Does the Galactic Government have a public fugitive list on Mars? Can you look it up and see if there’s anyone on it with an eye patch?”
“They do have a public list on record and there is mention of a fugitive on the loose with an eye patch, but no pictures or name,” X answered, thoughtful. “There is a description of him, however; male, mid-fifties with salt and pepper hair and a eye patch, extremely dangerous. Do not try and apprehend. If you see him, please contact the local authorities.”
“You good?” Monica asked as I joined the pair on the other side of the street.
Commander Shaw eyed me intently. I wouldn’t quite call his look assuming, but trust was still a new thing between me and Phoenix. I got that. Plus, the commander had a deep dark secret of his own to hide.
“I just wanted to ask them about the man with the eye patch,” I explained. “Apparently, he’s a fugitive here on Mars, wanted by the Galactic Government.”
“You know him?” Commander Shaw asked, putting the puzzle pieces together. “He’s part of Immortal Corp?”
“I only have one memory of him,” I said honestly. “I don’t know whose side he’s on at the moment. I’m beginning to learn this game everyone’s playing is more…complicated than I first thought. Wouldn’t you say, Commander?”
I added extra emphasis on the last part, giving Commander Shaw a sideways look. I realized I was unwilling to follow this man who was centuries old into battle until I had more answers. Right now wasn’t the right time, but once we reached the safe house, we needed to have a conversation.
“Life is more complicated than any of us realize if we’re willing to look deeper.” Commander Shaw didn’t miss a beat. “Let’s go. We have to make it to the vehicle still and then the safe house.”
Monica and I followed as Commander Shaw led us to a multi-level cement structure. I was starting to get used to the new sleek vehicles used for transportation. On the moon, transportation was forced to the air for the lack of room on the ground. People were so pressed in on one another, there was only walking room on the streets.
Vehicles here on Mars had wide streets to traverse. Most were on the ground, but some had taken to the air.
Drivers here, it seemed, had the option to travel on the ground with traditional tires or move to a flying option, where thrusters lifted them off the ground. Those that chose to fly had vehicles whose tires could fold under the carriage of their craft to make room for the thrusters.
Commander Shaw moved us to the black vehicle waiting for us; it looked like a large box.
He took the front seat and Monica the passenger side seat. I was just fine with the next seat behind them. That new car smell that never got old assailed my nostrils as I sat in the vehicle. Comfortable seats welcomed me and tinted windows promised a secluded trip.
I closed the sliding door behind me as Commander Shaw fired up the vehicle’s engine. We moved through the parking structure to the street beyond.
Memories, or more like the promise of memories and déjà vu, crashed through my mind, sending a sharp pain through my skull that made me wince. I knew I’d been to Mars before. More than that, I knew I was familiar with the city of Elysium specifically, but details were in sparse supply. I was trying to remember what I saw in Echo’s memory compared to what I knew. It was a fine line to try and travel.
It was colder here than either the moon or Earth. The sun was going down. The vehicle’s automatic lights turned on. We merged into the sparse flow of traffic.
Commander Shaw seemed to have a clear idea where he was going as we headed th
rough the city. Stone buildings and monuments caught my eyes as memories now began to come. I remembered seeing fountains. I recognized stores I had been into. I could recall the taste of food I ate from different restaurants we passed.
When I had been to these stores, who I was with and why were still answers I didn’t have, but it was a start.
We traveled through the city in relative silence, finally reaching the far end of Elysium. A series of business buildings opened up in the streets in front of us. Commander Shaw chose an unassuming bright beige building and its corresponding garage. There was nothing special to call apart this single-story building from any of the others, but maybe that was the point.
Commander Shaw paused in front of the garage for a brief moment. The garage’s metal gate moved up to allow us entry. Inside were plain walls with supplies on the left and two men in front of us. They wore black clothes with metal vests.
One was smaller and rugged, the other tall and clean cut. Not just tall, he looked like he had eaten a refrigerator. The guy just kept getting larger and larger as Commander Shaw moved inside the garage.
We exited the vehicle, going over to the men.
“Eric, Charles,” Commander Shaw said to the men, embracing them like brothers. “It’s been much too long.”
“It’s good to see you again, Shaw,” Eric, the smaller of the two said as he embraced the commander. “And your friends. Any friend of Shaw’s is a friend of mine.”
“This is Monica Warden. It’s her father we’ll be extracting tomorrow night, and our associate Daniel Hunt,” Commander Shaw introduced us. “Monica, Daniel, this is Eric and Charles Rasher. They’re a brother team we’ve had here on Mars for many years. They report to us on Immortal Corp movements and the goings on with the Galactic Government here in Elysium.”
“It’s great to meet you both,” Eric said, shaking our hands. He motioned to his larger brother. “My baby brother here doesn’t talk much these days. Took some shrapnel in his throat during an incident on the moon, but I’m sure he’s happy to meet you as well.”
Absolution: A Near Future Thriller (Forsaken Mercenary Book 2) Page 15